Sermon Title: Christmas is Real
Scripture: Genesis 15:4-6 (NIV)
Contributed by Nancy Buschart
Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. —Genesis 15:4-6
Today is the last Sunday of 2024 and it’s a common practice to take a moment to do a review of the year that is ending and to look forward to the year ahead. In our sermons, and in these weekly Devos, we have looked at the theme of faith often in 2024. In February and March we walked through a series titled Prayer of the Faithful Life. The March 10 Devo on Psalm 102 says, “the Christian faith is the most realistic faith in the world. It does not shy away from either life or death. It does not deny either goodness or evil. It faces, and does not run away from, the realities of life including times of lament in a fallen world.” May through August we did a deep dive into Habakkuk and Zephaniah. In the August 4 Devo titled “True Faith,” David Buschart wrote, “Faith is not for the faint of heart… . Or is it?” In July Jonah, a reluctant prophet, remembered the God of Israel and Jonah’s faith and surrender are rekindled while he worships God from the belly of a whale.
From September through November, we walked with the disciples through Gospel Encounters in Mark’s Gospel and saw the disciples’ faith deepen as Jesus transformed many lives. Blind Bartimaeus received his sight. “‘Go,’ said Jesus, ‘your faith has healed you.’ Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road” (Mk 10:52). And most recently, Advent has given us windows into the enduring faith of Zechariah and Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph, and Simeon and Anna.
The scripture for this last Sunday of 2024 takes us back to the beginning of the stories of faith in Yahweh. Like Mary before him, Abram was chosen by God as a pivotal instrument of God’s salvation plan. Abram was old and Sarah was past childbearing. It seemed clear that no heir would be born to the couple. But God told Abram, “‘A son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.’ He took him outside and said, ‘Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’ Abram believed the Lord, . .” (Gen 15:6).
Abram believed God’s promise. In spite of the obvious circumstances, and his own doubts and impatience, Abram believed the Lord! Abram became Abraham. And Abraham lived into his faith and God made him “the Father of many nations” (Gen 17:5, Rom 4:17-18). Abram’s faith was “credited to him as righteousness” (Gen 15:6). The Lord tells him, “Well done, Abraham!”
Why have there been so many sermons and devos that include the theme of faith this year? Because faith is that important! Life is hard and doubt is real. Spend a few minutes in an honest conversation with a person of any and every age and you’ll find this to be true. Life is hard. Doubt is real. Faith in God our Father, Jesus our Rescuer and Redeemer, and our constant companion, the Holy Spirit, must be continually deepened and rekindled in our hearts, minds, and souls. So, the question seems to me to be, “How? How is faith deepened and rekindled within us so that our actions demonstrate faith in our God?” “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for” (Heb 11:1-2). When my confidence is shaken and my assurance that what I’ve believed for so long may not be wholly true, then faith can sift through my fingers like shifting sand.
The apostle Paul helps us with the “how” question. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast” (Eph 2:8-9). It is all gift! God’s mercy and grace woo us to himself. He initiates our faith and he enables us to believe. He deepens and rekindles our faith even as doubts and fears grow within us. And he protects us from the distractions and temptations of the Enemy of our souls.
We have looked at the year in review. What about the year to come? Jesus asked the disciples, “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). If God is “the author and finisher of our faith” (Heb 12:2), then the answer is a resounding “Yes!” Thanks be to God!
Consider –
╬ Faith and doubt often come together as awkward dance partners. Like Jonah in the belly of the whale, praise God for the things you know: Jesus has come, lived and died for love of your soul. To worship as an act of the will, a decision, leads the weary soul into deepening and rekindled faith.
╬ In 2025, look deeply into God’s Word in search of those who have lived their faith in God. Who are the witnesses of God’s faithfulness in the scriptures? Seek to follow their examples. Also, find a soul friend with whom you can live your faith, and doubt your doubts, out loud.
╬ Lord, our God, thank you for the gift of faith. Enable us to believe who you say you are. By God the Spirit, may we become truer witnesses of the goodness and trustworthiness of God. In Christ Jesus we pray. Amen.